Where is the Waldo stadium?

Located about 2,300 miles east of the state of San Jose, it is the site of Saturday’s very first clash with western Michigan.

The Spartans (2-1, 1-0 Mountain West) previously played in bowl games in Fresno against Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan in 1987 and 1990, respectively.

But this non-conference game against the Broncos (2-1, 0-0 MAC) is uncharted territory.

Here are five keys to victory in the final leg of a month-long road odyssey:

Avoid jet lag

Consecutive flights to Honolulu to face Hawaii and Kalamazoo this weekend mean San Jose State is the only FBS team to cross six different time zones in consecutive games.

The Spartans don’t want to apologize for the roughly 8,700 air miles it will take to complete this part of the program, which is why the team boarded their plane Thursday afternoon to acclimatize to the time zone. Eastern time.

“Coming back from Hawaii and going to Michigan is a lot of airtime,” said offensive tackle Jack Snyder, team captain. “But I think as a team we don’t let that affect us too much. I feel like we’re sort of focusing on the mission.

He added: “It has been a real week of physical training. We started the week early leaving on Monday and it has gone pretty well so far. We feel good about the game plan.

Capitalize on the advantage of coaching

San Jose State coach Brent Brennan plans to wander the sidelines during the 11am PST kickoff.

This is not the case for Western Michigan coach Tim Lerner, in his fifth season at the helm. Lerner tested positive for COVID-19 after last week’s 44-41 Upheaval in Pitt and is currently in quarantine.

During the week he was able to interact with players and coaches online, but he is not allowed to have any contact during the game against the Spartans.

“I think Saturday will be a lot different,” Lerner told reporters this week. “But it’s been a good week.”

Defensive coordinator Lou Esposito will act as interim head coach.

“We rely on analysis, so the book is in the headlines most of the time,” Lerner said. “Which is good for some of the decisions that might have to be made on Saturday. This will take a lot of pressure off Coach Espo.

Increase production turnover

West Michigan quarterback Kaleb Eleby had 336 yards and three touchdowns in the win at Pitt.

More importantly, he didn’t throw an interception. Eleby was not selected in 93 passing attempts.

“He continued to be efficient and explosive,” Lerner said. “And it’s hard to do.”

San Jose State is yet to pull off an interception, despite a pass rush that featured Junior defensive end Fehoko and Cade Hall, the defensive player of the year at Mountain West last year.

“This defense that comes here is doing a lot of different fronts, a lot of different fronts,” Lerner said. “So (Eleby’s) is going to have to be sharp. He’s going to need to know what’s coming.

Meanwhile, San Jose State quarterback Nick Starkel threw four interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes.

Find a man you can trust

Starkel continues to spread the ball, with completions to 12 different teammates.

Last year it was clear his favorite targets were Bailey Gaither (41 catches, 725 yards, 4 TDs) and Tre Walker (45 catches, 627 yards, 4 TDs), but both players set off to test the waters of the NFL.

Close end Derrick Deese Jr. is back in the fold, third on the team with seven catches for 142 yards. But this year’s group of wide receivers is still being sorted out.

“We believe in these guys,” Brennan said. “It’s a good bunch of young guys, they just haven’t played so much because Tre and Bailey had a lot of impact a year ago. So I think we’re going to see a rapid development of this group.

Isaiah Hamilton leads the field with 12 catches for 168 yards, while Nevada transfer Charles Ross is behind with 10 catches for 151 yards. Jermaine Braddock (7 of 120) is the only player to catch two touchdowns.

Special teams strike again?

San Jose state punter Will Hart, a transfer graduate from Michigan, returns to the state from his undergraduate years after an impressive performance in Hawaii. It featured 11 punters for 489 yards, pinning the Rainbow Warriors insider three times to his own 20-yard line.

The Spartans also blocked a punt, thanks to running back Kairee Robinson.

Coaching staff continue to seek to infuse special teams with playmakers such as Charlie Bostic III, who recovered the blocked punt and returned it 18 yards for a key position on the field in the 17 win. -13 in Honolulu.

“I’m a punt turner, a shooter, a jammer, a rusher – pretty much everything I do on our special teams unit,” said Bostic. “I just like helping the team in any way I can, kind of like a Swiss Army Knife. And Coach White puts me in a good position to help the team and make some big plays. ”